Fifteen former Formula 1 drivers set to race at the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours

Fifteen drivers with Formula 1 experience will line up on the Le Mans 24 Hours grid this weekend, with the majority competing in the flagship Hypercar class — a reflection of the calibre that sportscar racing continues to attract from the single-seater world.

Of the 186 drivers entered for the 2026 edition of the race, the former F1 contingent is headlined by Kamui Kobayashi, who makes his 12th appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe while simultaneously serving as team principal at Toyota Racing. The Japanese driver won the race outright in 2021 and has claimed two top-class WEC titles. His best F1 result was a podium at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix, racing for BMW/Sauber.

Alongside Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid is Nyck de Vries, whose F1 career lasted just 11 races with AlphaTauri before he was dropped mid-season in 2023. De Vries has since rebuilt his reputation in endurance racing, scoring two outright WEC victories with Toyota since joining the programme in 2024.

Sebastien Buemi, a former Toro Rosso driver whose best F1 finish was seventh, continues in the #8 Toyota and holds the record for the most appearances in Toyota’s top-class Le Mans programme, having first joined the team in 2023.

Compared to the 2025 grid, two prominent names are absent from the Hypercar class. Jenson Button, who raced for Cadillac’s factory Jota team last year, has retired from professional motorsport. Mick Schumacher has departed the WEC entirely, switching to IndyCar with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Sportscar racing has long served as a destination for drivers who moved on from F1, whether after brief stints at the top level or longer careers that never quite delivered the results their talent suggested. The depth of former grand prix experience on this year’s Le Mans grid underlines how the WEC’s Hypercar class has become one of the most competitive and prestigious environments in world motorsport.